PETALING JAYA: Sandy Parin, 39, is so happy that Budget 2023 has provisions for women who are returning to the workforce after taking a break.
The former IT manager from Kota Kinabalu, who became a full-time housewife after giving birth to her second child, said this is “good news” for her because it means that she can return to work without worrying about who will look after her children.
In the Budget 2023 announcement, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said women who return to the workforce after taking a career break will receive income tax exemptions for five years from 2023 to 2028.
Parin, who has three children aged six, three and one, said this will encourage women like herself to return to the workforce.
“Hiring a babysitter for three children or sending them to daycare is just too expensive, and it was more economical for me to stay home and look after them myself,” she said.
Under Budget 2023, RM188mil will be allocated to increase early childhood education programmes for children.
Ten more taska (childcare centres) under Kemas will be built and allowances for taska staff will also be increased.
Under the new Budget, the Securities Commission will be offering training programmes to increase the number of women on the boards of companies.
Parin said although this doesn’t affect her personally, she hopes it will lead to greater representation of women at the senior leadership level.
Maimunah Rashid, 29, from Kuala Lumpur, says that she’s glad to hear that RM11mil has been allocated for breast cancer and cervical cancer screening (mammograms and pap smears).
“Both my late mother and older sister had breast cancer, and screening is necessary for early detection, so it is reassuring that there is an allocation for this,” she said.
Maimunah, who runs a small business, said the RM235mil fund to help female entrepreneurs build or upgrade or market their businesses is also welcome news.
However, she added that information on the application process must also be readily accessible.
